1990 Scenic / 150th Anniversaries

       In 1990 the annual Scenic issue was combined with an Anniversary Issue. Each of the cities or locations were celebrating 150 year anniversaries.


80c - Akaroa
Captain Jean Langlois, a French whaler from Havre, first sailed into Akaroa Harbour in 1838.  He was most favourably impressed with what he saw and began negotiations with the Maori to purchase a portion of the peninsula.  This was the beginning of the French attempt to establish a colony in the area, only to discover that British sovereignty had been declared over the whole of the South Island.
Akaroa never developed into a town or city of any size because it quickly became over shadowed the Littleton Port and Christchurch City but it has remained an peaceful farming town while in more recent years large cruise ships have started using the harbour to provide their passengers with something different while saving the high port fees of Littleton.


$1.00 - Wanganui.
In the early days, the fertile banks of the Wanganui river supported many Maori who were living in fortified pa and villages.  One of the first Europeans to visit the area, John Rowe, was a whaler and dealer in preserved Maori heads.  His visit in 1831 resulted in the loss of his own head - which was later dried and offered for sale. 
Today this beautiful city sit astride the river providing support for the surrounding farming areas.

$1.50 - Wellington.
In January 1840, the New Zealand Company's ship 'Cuba' sailed into Wellington Harbour, followed shortly after by 'Aurora' carrying the first settlers.  Then came the 'Oriental' and the 'Roxburgh' and, 340 more ships were to arrive in the next three years.  The Maori were astonished at the numbers of new arrivals, wondering if the whole population of England was being transported. 
Wellington became New Zealand's capital because of it central location to both the North & South Islands. While it has a beautiful natural harbour the city has always been short of flat land for development and expansion due to be surrounded by steep hills. Transport has also been a major problem with major works required to build motorways and railway connections into the city.

$1.80 - Auckland.
On the isthmus between the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours lies Auckland.  In earlier times Auckland was the site of a heavily fortified pa, kumara fields, and numerous small Maori villages.  The site of the present day city was bought from the Ngati Whatua tribe by Captain William Hobson, Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand, who designated it as a single administrative area and later the country's capital. 
By late 1840, officials, traders and workmen had flocked to the site of Auckland to help build the town, and in 1842 the first immigrant ships from Britain arrived. Many ethnic groups settled in Auckland.  English, Danes, Yugoslavs, Dutch and, in a second migratory wave, the Polynesians from the islands of the Pacific.  Each added their own cultures. 
Today it could be regarded as the most cosmopolitan city in New Zealand boasting the country's largest city and home to over one quarter of the entire country's population.

Miniature Sheet - $1.80
This sheet was issued in support of the 'New Zealand 1990' World Stamp Exhibition and incorporated the $1.80 'Auckland' stamp.
In the background of the sheet design is Rangitoto Island the most noble of the series of extinct volcanoes surrounding Auckland.  It stands on guard over the harbour entrance.  Auckland is essentially an aquatic playground with everything from wild ocean surfing beaches to tranquil inner harbour coves.  The hundreds of yachts constantly on the water give the Queen City its name - City of Sails.

Technical information

                              Date of Issue:
13 June 1990
                              Designers:
L Fisher, Auckland
                              Printers:
Leigh-Mardon, Australia
                              Stamp Size:
29mm x 35mm
                              Sheet Size:
100 stamps per sheet
                              Process:
Lithography
                              Perforation Gauge:    
14.25
                              Paper Type:
Red phosphor coated, unwatermarked



Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
You can visit their web site and On-line Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/

Information for this post came from.